Spare a thought

Engineers are often bundled into utility aircraft at short notice to be flown to the site of the latest engine or avionics challenge. It is my observation that they approach these extras duties with enthusiasm even when it may mean considerable disruption to their personal lives. Their efforts are central to all regional aviation, indeed to all commercial aviation. While their role is relatively unseen, it is the intelligent application of their vital skills that keep all of us safe in the air.

It is a great career for anyone interested in the maintenance and development of aircraft. Now is the best time to begin training for the increased demand for engineers that will occur inevitably as the aviation industry begins its recovery to full strength over the next 12-18 months. High quality engineers are the bedrock of our industry and we need a new generation to embrace a profession that offers one of the most interesting jobs in aviation.

There is no reason that Australia cannot become a leading nation in the training of engineers. We already fly and maintain some of the world’s most sophisticated aircraft. Our safety record is excellent and we can contribute further to the improvement of safety outcomes in the emerging aviation nations of Asia and the Middle East. It is important that we regain our confidence and project ourselves as a leading aviation nation. This was certainly true thirty, even twenty years ago. If we are not to be seen by the rest of the world as simply a nation of large quarries we need to add value in engineer, pilot training as well as cutting edge aviation research and development. There is no denying however the ongoing importance of the mining industry to the Australian economy and to regional aviation specifically.

We need to develop the aviation opportunities in regional Australia even further. Aviation training is an area in which a regional focus can offer significant advantages. Rex’s major facility investment at Wagga Wagga Airport is a recent example of a creative approach to pilot and engineer training. Relocating to a regional town can offer cost advantages for business development and staff housing as well as plenty of unrestricted, uncongested airspace.

The latest statistics from the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics indicate a worrying trend with respect to the number of regional airports receiving RPT services. From 278 airports in 1984, to 170 airports in 2005 to 138 in 2008, the trend is a 50% decline over a 25 year period even though passenger movements have increased by 2.5 times over the same period. This indicates considerable growth on the major domestic tourist and large regional centre/capital city routes but a withdrawal of services from smaller regional towns. While road and vehicle improvements account for some of the decline it is problematic to try and predict when this trend in RPT services to smaller regional airports might be arrested. The tendency to manufacture larger regional aircraft may exacerbate this trend.

The smallest regional airliner in current production has 50 seats.

Regional Australia continues to offer exciting aviation possibilities. Rather than just a port from which passengers are collected, regional towns cannot support aviation training, engineering and commercial bases in their own right. It will be interesting to see if these opportunities are further developed.